Panama Canal: gates ahoy

June 13 - The second shipment of new lock gates has arrived at the Panama Canal, marking a significant step forward in the Panama Canal expansion programme.

HLPFI reported on May 21 that the four gates had set sail from the Port of Trieste in Italy on board the STX heavy lift vessel, Sun Rise.

"This is another milestone as it completes half of the 16 gates that will be used in the new locks", said the administrator of the Panama CanalAuthority (ACP), Jorge LuisQuijano.

Two different designs of lock gate have been delivered to Panama. The Type C pair are destined for lock head number three in the middle chamber of the Pacific locks; each lock is 57.9 m long, 10 m thick, 31.9 m tall and weighs approximately 3,900 tonnes. The shorter Type A locks will be installed in lock head one in the Atlantic site's upper chamber. They are 57.6 m long by 8 m thick and 22.3 meters tall, and weigh in the region of 2,300 tonnes apiece.

ACP says that the four rolling gates will be disembarked onto a bespoke dock built on the Atlantic side of the canal. The Type A gates will remain in a staging area until the time of their installation, while the two Type C gates will be transferred to the Pacific site once the construction of their unloading dock is complete.

ACP stated that the Panama Canal expansion project is now 76.3 percent complete.